Paralegal II/III

Section:                    Gun Violence Task Force/Criminal Law Division

Class:                        Paralegal II/III

Location:                  Philadelphia

Telework:                 Limited ad-hoc telework opportunities available with supervisor approval and based on business need.

Position Type:         Full-time, Non-civil service, Union

Work Hours:            8:30 – 5:00

Salary Range:         Paralegal II:  Pay Range 6 – Starting salary of $50,836

                                 Paralegal III:  Pay Range 7 – Starting salary of $58,035

Basic Function

The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General (OAG) is looking for a detail-oriented legal professional to join our fast-paced prosecutorial team in Philadelphia.  The Paralegal supports the prosecution and administration of the Philadelphia Gun Violence Task Force (GVTF) within the statewide Gun Violence Section.  The GVTF is a city-wide, joint task force with the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) and Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office (DAO) that investigates and prosecutes illegal firearms trafficking, the straw purchase of firearms, the movement of illegal guns, and violent gun crime.  This position reports to the Chief Deputy Attorney General (CDAG) of the GVTF and involves paralegal support for cases prosecuted by the OAG and cases investigated by GVTF agents.  Work involves handling sensitive and confidential matters consistent with attorney-client privilege.

This position entails a variety of paralegal and staff support work related to the processing of the many legal documents required through all stages of a criminal case such as logging in new cases, obtaining discovery from law enforcement, organizing and redacting documentary evidence, tracking statistics related to cases handled by the section, preparing cases for trial, and closing case files once investigations and/or prosecutions have concluded.  

Additional duties include formatting of legal documents and reports of investigation from written or dictated sources, assisting in the analysis of evidence by preparing charts and Excel spreadsheets, maintaining legal files, preparing trial binders, and organizing exhibits.  The paralegal will obtain and synthesize electronic evidence including videos, cellular phone logs, social media records, and cell phone tower records.

Work is performed with considerable independence under the direction of a higher level supervisor and attorney who reviews the work for timeliness, accuracy, correct formatting, and adherence to procedural and other legal requirements.  

• Coordinates with the CDAG, Senior Deputy Attorneys General (SDAGs), and Deputy Attorneys General (DAGs) to compile, redact, index, and transmit discovery packages, which may involve coordination with the Litigation Support Section
• Drafts subpoenas, motions, correspondence, briefs, and other legal documents with the appropriate courts
• Maintains physical and electronic case files
• Obtains case documents from OAG agents, PPD detectives, PPD labs, Federal agencies, and Philadelphia and other court systems
• Schedules when specific documents are to be passed to the defense
• Transcribes audio or video interviews as needed
• Creates criminal history reports on specific targets/defendants
• Reviews statewide agent affidavits and complaints for charging recommendations
• Assists the CDAG and GVTF Administrator in legal research
• Assists DAGs in drafting sentencing memos
• Assists DAGs at pre-trial hearings and trial listing in the Criminal Justice Center
• Maintains the schedule for OAG cases, notifying DAGs of significant developments
• Updates DAG Prosecution and GVTF Investigative Case Tracking spreadsheets
• Assists GVTF Administrator in preparing reports on OAG prosecutions
• Performs related work as required

Qualifications for Paralegal II are as follows:

• Four years of experience as a Legal Assistant II OR
• Three years of experience as a Legal Assistant III OR
• Certification as a Paralegal or Legal Assistant (CP/CLA) by The National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA), certification as a Registered Paralegal (RP) by The National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA), or advanced certification for legal professionals (PLS) by NALS-The Association for Legal Professionals; and two years performing legal support work OR
• Completion of an Associate’s Degree or post baccalaureate certificate in legal, paralegal or legal assistant studies, or other related field; and two years performing legal support work OR
• An equivalent combination of education, experience, and training

Qualifications for Paralegal III are as follows:

• Five years of experience as a Legal Assistant II OR
• Four years of experience as a Legal Assistant III OR
• Certification as a Paralegal or Legal Assistant (CP/CLA) by The National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA), certification as a Registered Paralegal (RP) by The National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA), or advanced certification for legal professionals (PLS) by NALS-The Association for Legal Professionals; and four years performing legal support work OR
• Completion of an Associate’s Degree or post baccalaureate certificate in legal, paralegal or legal assistant studies, or other related field; and four years performing legal support work OR
• An equivalent combination of education, experience, and training

• Knowledge of applicable federal and state codes, laws, rules of procedure, and regulations
• Thorough knowledge of policies, procedures, and standards for evidentiary exhibits required by courts
• Thorough knowledge of methods and techniques of legal research
• Thorough knowledge of legal document maintenance
• Demonstrated ability to present legal information in concise written form